Brian Hartley
First Lieutenant Brian Hartley is a veteran ODST in the UNSC Marine Corps. He is the leader of Task Force Bravo; a group of elite soldiers mostly comprised of ODSTs. Biography Early Life Hartley was born on Earth in 2506. His family had a sense of duty and honor, making military service simply an expectation. Following this tradition, Hartley enlisted in the UNSC Marine Corps at the age of eighteen and moved to Harvest. First Contact with the Covenant When the Covenant attacked Harvest in 2525, Hartley was tasked with the protection of an evac site for civilians. He managed to fend off the alien invaders by blowing up a building and blocking their path. He then boarded one of the evacuation shuttles and fled the planet. Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, and Return to Harvest Shortly after the fall of Harvest, Hartley volunteered for the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers and became a member of the 7th Shock Troops Battalion. He later returned to Harvest and participated in the Harvest Campaign, which made him reach the rank of Sergeant. Battle of Crystal After participating in numerous battles of the Covenant War, Hartley reached the rank of First Lieutenant and assumed command of an ODST platoon. In 2551, he was assigned to the UNSC Conqueror and sent to the human colony world of Crystal, which was under attack by the Covenant. Upon making landfall on the planet, he met Jameson Locke, an ONI agent. Together, they pushed towards a highly important Forerunner artifact and forged an uneasy alliance with a Sangheili warrior named Sasuun 'Grtamee. When Hartley and the others reached the artifact (which was revealed to be a Casket) they were too late; it had already been activated. They escaped the system right before it was destroyed by the Casket's incredible power. EUREKA, and Task Force Bravo The loss of Crystal prompted the UNSC to organize Operation: EUREKA - the search for the Forerunner artifacts known as Caskets. Hartley was put in charge of Task Force Bravo, a group of soldiers established by Captain James Croft that would later participate in EUREKA. Daego Insertions Operation: EUREKA's first search zone was Daego, a planet which had fallen into Covenant hands two days earlier. This location was chosen for its short distance to Crystal's system, as well as the knowledge that Hartley's brother, Steven Hartley, was last reported to be on the planet. After arriving at Daego, Croft's frigate, ''Sword of Giants'', deployed Task Forces Alpha to Lima. Hartley was part of Bravo Team Three, along with Sergeant First Class Peter Ulan. During the opening stages of the battle, a Stealth Elite used its energy sword to slice Hartley's chestplate. Luckily, the Sangheili was immediately killed by Ulan. Following this event, the team headed to a destroyed city and found Steven Hartley, who had been hiding in a building. The ODSTs were not able to find the Casket, and the Daego Insertions were considered a complete failure. Mission to New Jerusalem The second search zone was the colony world of New Jerusalem, in the Cygnus System. It was chosen simply due to the fact that it was one of the few Outer Colonies that had not yet been attacked by the Covenant. When the Sword of Giants arrived at New Jerusalem, Hartley and Task Force Bravo headed to the surface of the planet in Albatross dropships, but were shot down by Kig-Yar Pirates. Private Seamus Greco died in the crash. After clearing the crash-site, the survivors of Task Force Bravo made their way to a small village. They then used civilian Genets and Elephants to get to the city of Tzab Shvehr, a possible search-zone for the Casket. Unfortunately, a Covenant strike force had arrived at the planet and placed an energy shield around the city. Hartley managed to destroy the shield using a captured Type-36 Scarab. Hartley and Task Force Bravo infiltrated the city and found the Armoury, a massive artifact that stored many Forerunner weapons. While Hartley investigated the Armoury, a Covenant corvette, the Prelude to Penance, exited slipspace. Commanding it was DAB-101, the only conscripted member of the SPARTAN-I program. Shortly after that, DAB helped Bravo evacuate New Jerusalem. Hartley also loaded the Armoury's artifacts onto the Spartan's second ship, the Requisition of Prosperity. Category:Bravo's Adventures Category:Commando Trooper Category:Task Force Bravo Members